Inflated aeroplane.



A. E. MAIDEN. INFLTED ABOPLANB. APLIoA'rIoN ILBn AUG. 1. 1909.

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APPLICATION FILED AUG. '1. 1909.

975,263'. v Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

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KC/ """VVN'Lj 2 i Si I Swami/vtm on the novel aeroplane for.

UNITED STATES l-TENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR E. MAIDEN, OF FORT LEE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB, v0F ONEHALF T0 EDW-BD L. CRANE, OF NEW YORK, N'. Y.

INFLATED IAEEOPLANE.

Speclftcaton ot Letters Patent.

Patented-Nov. 8, 1910.

Application filed August 7, 1BQ9. Serial No. 511,670.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, Airriitia E. Mmmm, :i

Figi'. ifi shows thc aeroplane in top plan View,

Stale of New Jersey. have county o'terggen1 and useful liiiproviv invented certain new ments in inflated .-Xeropla-nes, ot which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to novel aeroplanes distinguished by one or more. hollow planes adapted to he inflated h v h vdrogen or other light gases thus assisting in supportingV the machinel while oll'ering aE minimum lresistance to the wind or heavy oir currents. [n accordance with this novel construction :in aeroplane may be made having a hollow plane or planes of limited ca pac-ity .so that saine is still heavier than the air or the hollow plane or planes may have larger capacity holding more gaswherehy 11u157 result which floats without rising and if the hollow Jlaneor planes are of IstillV larger capacity t e larger quantit)v of gas therein will impart risingr power thereto. In the first instance,' the inflated plane or planes aid in .supporting the niachine and after rising keep same at a desired height while itfwill not sink rapidly in case of injury lto the raising and propelling mechanism. In the 'second instance.- when the inflated aeroplane is so constructed that it. floats, `more power from the motor maybe applied to the propelling mechanism, and in the' third' instance the .aeroplane will rise higher up intol the air construction end thus'niay be brought. outo the rea-ch of guns. Means are provided assisting in raising und loweringlsame 4and facilitating- "the maneuvering' in the air'. is divided into separate compartments insuring a-safe landingin case ofdaniage to' one compartment and permitting-j ofarranging-'the supportingl frame work in minore substantial ni-anner-,all-as will be fully .described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 .represents in longitudinal sec- I oli-Fig. 4, an inflated aeroplane, embodying in desirable form the tion, on line l,

resent-improvements. Fig. 2 is an enurged detail View of the mechanism for assisting in the raising and lowering of the aeroplane and facilitating the maneuvering.

than those of former Each hollow plane fof the machine and operated iby means lever arrangement g winch connectswlth a without leaving that .section of -ranged at right andFig'. Llis a front elevation of same.

Similar characters of reference denote like parts in all the figures.

Referring to thedrawings a represents the lower frame work made of light wood or other suitable ii'iateriatnvhich may bestrfngthened by light metal braces. In the center ofthe aeroplane aI vertical frame member b is irovided which extends in forni of networlt down onto the lower frame work portion a. In the .lower portion of the frame work in about the middle of lthe apparatus there-ismounted a motor o of any approved construe-tion for aerial navigation. The motor drives a horizontal shaft (l on which the propeller c is mounted which is arranged preferablyY in the'front of the ma chine. The rudderj is mounted at -therear small hand wheel i. mounted near theJ motor so that the 'operator ma)v easily operate 'it the machine. The rudder consists of three parts, two-parts f1 and one partfg', the parts f1 being ar'- angles to the part-l fz as shown in Fig. 1'.

' bovethe lower frame Work a there lare the planes which are adapted to .be inflated. These planes i, j, k are supported between and .carried by the upper frame work andv the supporting'network b. In the :dra-wing three such planes are shown vof which the.

represented ,to be the largest lower one 'i' is extending farthest out in 'ja h0rizonta1 di reetion viewn Eig. 4 of the drawing. The middle plane. y does not extendfquite `sc far andthe upper onearrangement tends' tokeep the aeroplane in its normal position andebalance, it preserves k is still smaller. This its buoyancyr with thecenter "ofgiii'vittion and' insures'a steadier :movement of the apparatus. 4

When cresswinds strike-the aerolane'unde'r certain angles .the .machine is ess liable to assume aslai'iting or :angular .position than if the three planes are of even' size,- -or the .planes w'ouh `he arranged in reverse order.

InA order to render it )ossiblel to connect the network l) in a-sa e A Ina-nner with the lower portion 'of the 'frame work each plane consists of two. halves as maybe seen from" land substantial- Fig.' 4. Unehalf ofl each plane is located to the leftI of the verplane, frame and net work for supporting tical central frame network and the other to the right of same. The outer ends of the plancia are secured to vertical frame memers of which the members al, a,Z are shown in Fig.' 4 and the outer end of the other planes may be held in position b suitable cords. The llanes are each provijed with a valve il, jl, lil for filling saine with gas or allowin the gas to escape. The planes are Amade' o the usual material which holds gas securel In rder Ato keep the planes. in their s ape a network of cords 1 surround saine as shown in Fig. 3. "he network is suitably secured to the frame work in the usual manner.

For the purpose of assisting the acroplaiies to rise and tall sind facilitating the nianeuveriiig of same a mechanism is provided which consists essentially of a number of van'es m, n, o, located in the front portion of the inachi1ie, one below each plane. 'Fliese vanes may beset at various angles in relation to the horizontal planes So' that in one instance the airA strikes the lower surface of same whereby a rising tendency is vimparted orl if set so that the air strikes lthe top surface of same a. lowering or falling tendency is imparted. It is selfevident that these Yanes assist in maneuvering in the nii'. The

'Yanes are each connected to ropes as for insta-nce shown in Fig, 2 where the vane m is connected to a rope lm1- which )asses over pulleys and a hand wheel pwli'ich, when turned in one direction, tends to raise the venes and ifturned in thefothe'r direction lowers' same.

The gas holding ca acity of'tlie planes of a certain size of mac ine is 'limited by the width and len th of. said planes.. When a machine shall lie so constructed 'as to float without rising the hei l'ht .of the planes is preferablyl increased whereby'the gas holding capacity' likewise increases. For inachines which are -lighter than the air the height of the planes 4is correspondingly-iiicreased,

reservin however, the character of aei'op aries.

A lft-hree lanes may be of the saine height but. re erably the lower plane is of less height t an' the' middle plane andthe top plane is higher than the middle one whereby the aeroplanewpresei'ves'- its buoyancyA with the center of gravitation.

I claim as m invent-ion:

said plane, and inea-ns for raising, propellingand steering the aeroplane.

2. An aeroplane comprising inliatablc planes, frame and net work for supporting said planes, means for raising propelling and steering same, and means for assisting in raising,'lowering and manipulatin 3. An aeroplane comprising in atable horizontal planes, frame and 'net Work for supporting said planes, a motor, a propeller driven by said motor, and a rudder.

4. An aeroplane comprising sup orting frame work having a 'central vertice franamember, divided horizontal lanes ada ated to he inflated so arranged t at one half is located at the left and one at the right of said vertical frame memher, a motor, a propeller, adjustable va-iies adapted to be set at various angles to the planes, and a rudder.

' 5. An aeroplane comprising supporting 'frame work having a central verticaframe member in form of network, divided hori ',zonta-l planes arranged so that one' half is at the right. and one at the-'leftof said central network, cord network around the planes secured to the frame Work, a motor, 'a proieller, a rudder, and adustable vi-ies one elow each plane adapte to be set a. t .'\'ari ous angles in relation thereto.

(5. In an aerop1ai`ie,`apluralityjof inflat# breadth Ato the top onewhich is thev iiarrowest.

f7. In a'n aeroplane, a plurality of'iiiilatable planes so arranged that the lowest one is the broadest but of least height, and suc- .cessii-'el decreasing in breadth and inci'easf In an aero lane, an -inatable plane y ldivided longitur inally into two4 adjoining- 'able planes so arrangedthut the lowest one` 'is the' 'l)roadest,l gradually decreasing in io o halves located in one horizontal plane, and

supporting -frame workl between the ti-'vo NjY., this 30th day halves. Signed at N ew York,

of July 1909.

' ARTHUR E. MAIDEN.

Witnesses: v

FLORA GREENWALD. LUDWIG K. Boi-IM. 

